My First Mission
by Splishboom
Summary: An OC story. Tell me if it's terrible!


If I took away one thing from all those years growing up helping my Nana the doctor, it would be...well, it would be more than one thing. It would be a lot of things. Her passion for healing, her inability to keep a grudge, her recipe for peanut-butter cookies...her tolerance...

* * *

I adjusted my pack once more, thinking again how lucky I was; how heroic I was; how grateful those poor villagers would be after I brought them the benefits of modern medicine.

I could practically see their smiling faces – Here, a motherly smile for the one who saved her child from pneumonia; there, a hardy farmer's handshake for the woman who helped his wife through an oh-so-tough birth.

"What's that? You want to name the baby after _me?_ Well, if you _insist."_

It was my first off world mission, and I was damn excited about it. I would've stood there, grinning like a fool, for who knows how long if Sergeant Marie Parsons hadn't nearly knocked me over at that moment with an enthusiastic smack to the shoulder. I stumbled forward.

"Hey there, Earth to Lauren, are ya there, Lauren?"

I smiled sheepishly. I was close to Marie. She was like an older sister to me. In the month I had been stationed on Atlantis, she had taken me under her wing, so to speak.

Oh, we were different, to be sure – Me, a young and slightly air-headed but well-intentioned nurse; Her, a mature and experienced soldier. But we were close friends.

"Sorry, I was spaced out."

"Whatever...weirdo." she grinned as she launched herself backwards through the gate. She was always doing things like that; taking things head – or back; first.

I tried to pout at that last quip, but it soon turned to a grin. That was why I loved her. Plus, I was still running high on excitement about _my_ mission.

I was _so_ excited to be going off-world, finally, after a whole month on Atlantis.

I took one last breath, and stepped through the rippling, water-like surface of the gate.

I felt that familiar but curious sensation of having your body be deconstructed cell-by-cell and then put back together again, and then I was there.

I stepped out of the event horizon enthusiastically, the grin on my face faltering as I am hit smack in the face with what seems like a wall of water, the air is that humid. Moisture immediately clings to my face and neck.

"Welcome to M19-434; otherwise known as the Everglades," Marie announced, and began shouting out orders to our team.

The team was Me, the nurse; Marie, team leader; Caelum Maas, an archaeologist; Charlie Wyes, a linguist; and Ann Myun, a marine.

I opened my mouth to respond, but was cut off by an insect about the size of a tennis ball, seemingly intent on journeying into my mouth. I clamped it shut and reared back. Suddenly there were many more, buzzing all around me, and I was dancing to keep them off, giving quite a show to my team mates.

"You think this is funny?" I whined, swatting away a bug particularly interested in my ears.

"Yes. Yes we do." Marie managed to get out between chuckles.

I knew right then what the rest of the mission would be like. If only I'd been right.

Four hours, two gouty old ladies, one young boy who had the measles but could've used some Ritalin, and one very amorous old man with a 'rash' later, and I found myself trudging through yet another clearing filled with oozy mud on the way to another village, where we had been advised the folks were suffering from something like a mix of the flu and the runs.

The mud was the wet kind. The kind where, every time you take a step, you must stop and pull your boot out of it's oozy prison. So it went like this: 'Clump, schluck. Clump, schluck. Clump, schluck. schluck. Goddammit... Schluck, clump.

I stopped once to tug my left foot out, and stepped with my right right into a tiny sinkhole. Now about six inches deep in muck, I knelt on my haunches, got a good grip, and tugged with all my might. The boot popped out-and I fell right on my ass. After a second or two of self-pity, I heaved myself up, and dusted myself off; although there wasn't much to be done about my now-soaked-in-muck ass.

I glared over at my team. Dr. Maas, our archeologist had found some ruins that were oh-so enticing, and they were all mucking about in them.

It seemed like a good time to go check out that sunny-looking, dry-looking little valley I had spotted a few yards back. It'd be okay, I'd still be on radio, after all, and there hadn't been any wraith sitings in the village we'd been to.

The woods were strangely better than the clearings as to the weather, and my boots made shh-shh sounds as I shuffled through the dry bracken and grass. So nice was everything, in fact, that I was lulled into a state of drowsiness, and I almost didn't hear it.

In the midst of the shh-shh of me, and the twitter-fee of the alien birds, there was something. I couldn't make it out at first, but then it happened again. It was a groan. A groan of pain.

I knew that sound. I was a nurse, dammit. I was supposed to make that sound go away.

I froze, listening. Nothing but the forest sounds. Wait! there it was again, lower this time. I was barely breathing, tuned into every sound in the woods. Then it happened a third time, even lower, but I was sure I knew where it was coming from now, and I set off. There was a twinge of anxiety in the back of my mind about what I would find, but it was quickly shoved over by my Nana's words; 'a creature in pain, is a creature in pain.'

I shuffled through the woods, occasionally stopping to dis-tangle myself from brambles and stickers, and cursing when I got thwacked in the face by a tree branch. Finally the trees thinned out some; then stopped abruptly, and I found myself in a small clearing, covered in waving tall grass. And amidst the grass, preceded by a furrow of upturned grass and dirt, was a downed Wraith Dart.

"Well, shit."

Now what was I supposed to do? shoot it? I knew immediately that I couldn't. Maybe if it were him or me...But this...person...I could tell was obviously wounded and in pain. I knew I couldn't just leave him there to suffer. I made up my mind. Making sure I knew where my gun and regulation dagger were - I wasn't taking any chances.

I made my way through the thigh-length grass to the dart. Now I could see the figure in the cockpit more clearly. Palest green skin, thick white hair in dreadlocks and a pony-tail. Eyes squinched shut in unconsciousness. Dressed in the standard wraith leathers, this one the darkest blue, but you could barely make that out, because the front of him was spattered with black blood.

I reached the side of the craft, and slumped my gear down. It looked like most of the blood was coming from his abdomen, so that's where I started. My fingertips had barely grazed the stickiness when I found my wrist in a vice-like grip. My breath caught. Something was growling right in my ear. I slowly and carefully brought my eyes upwards, where I was met by a cloudy gaze, and hot, uneven breath.

I gulped. It hadn't tried to kill me yet, which was good for me, but probably meant he was just too weak to try. But I also hadn't hurt him yet, either. I could only hope he could realize that in his foggy state.

Suddenly my radio fsshed to life. "Lafrentz; state your position."

Still locked in his feline stare; I slowly and carefully reached up to my radio. The wraith's eyes followed my hand, but he did nothing.

I tried to make my voice sound normal – like I wasn't staring down a creature that wanted to suck my life-force out.

"Exploring the woods, Sergeant. I found a stream!"

A chuckle came over the fuzz. "Okay, you just keep one eye open, y'hear?"

"I got that. Lafrentz, out."

Everything was quiet. It was like both of us were waiting for the other to make a move. I spoke first.

"...I'm just...trying to help...you." He blinked blearily at me, his eyes flickering over my form. When he spoke, his voice was weak and raspy-well, more raspy than usual.

"But you...are Lantean."

"Yes, but...I don't feel the way most of them do. I don't think you should die. I'm a...a healer. Please let me help you."

He was quiet for a long time.

"If I was strong enough, I would feed from you right now." Well, that was a shiver-inducing thought, but I knew he was telling the truth. He was very weak, his hold on my arm seemed to be sapping away even more of his energy.

I sighed. "What about this; I don't leave you here to die a slow, painful death; you don't eat me afterwards. Deal?"

"...Deal" he grunted, and released my wrist.

"Good." I tried to steel myself for what lay ahead. "The first thing is; I need to see where you're hurt. Where is your pain?"

With great effort, he gestured to his abdomen. Aha, so I was right.

Very slowly and cautiously, I leaned in over the edge, all the while aware of his eyes upon me. Again, aha. I saw there was a rather large piece of shrapnel from the ship lodged in his belly. Oooh, this was gonna be messy.

"There's something lodged in the wound; I'm gonna have to pull it out." I explained, hoping he was coherent enough to understand.

"I understand." he nodded, not looking at me. I paused, thinking about what was about to happen. When I pulled it out, would the pain be too much, and I would be ripped to shreds? Would he scream, and my team hear it, come running, and kill on sight? I'd have to take the risk. I steadied myself, getting as good a grip as I could, considering.

"3, 2, 1," I yanked, and the metal made a sick schlocking sound, as the wraith moaned agonizingly.

"Sorry!" I said without thinking.

Breathing heavier now, he managed to speak:

"Why?" he asked quietly.

"Why what?"

"Why are you 'sorry'?" louder now.

I blew a strand of hair out of my eyes. It wasn't as humid here as by the gate, but it was still hot, and I was leant over a smoking wraith dart - things were sticky.

"I guess...it's because I don't want to see you in pain."

He looked at me sharply, but didn't say anything, so I set about fixing him up. We had to take off his coat to get to the wound, which was very awkward, and involved getting closer to a wraith than I ever imagined. As I reached around him to pull it away, and when I bandaged him up, I could feel his hot breath on my neck. It was unnerving, to say the least.

I finished tying the bandage. "There. Now, you'll be okay from here on, right?"

He gave a weak nod. I turned to pick up my pack. Once again my arm was in his grasp. "Human."

I turned. He was not looking at me.

"...Thank you."

I didn't know what to say, or do, so I just nodded. He let go of my arm, and I left.

* * *

A/N: I was gonna continue this, I may yet, but not right now. Apologies to anyone who was waiting on baited breath for a new chappie! =)


End file.
